A gun-casting furnace at Scarlets,Cowden, Kent

Abstract

A timber-lined casting pit was installed between 1590 and 1664 at the blast furnace at Scarlets, Cowden, Kent. The methods of construction are similar to those used at Maynards Gate and Pippingford, Sussex. The adjacent floor is a feature paralleled at Pippingford and at Rockley, Yorkshire. The furnace has been thoroughly robbed of its stone, but its position and orientation can be satisfactorily established; evidence was found for refurbishing at the end of the 17th century, yet it seems likely that abandonment came before 1717.     

Folded wheel-made oil lamps,standing pit burial caves and Judaean ethnic identity in the Hasmonean period

ABSTRACT

Two distinct archaeological phenomena appeared between the middle of the second century BCE and the middle of the first century: the Hasmonean folded wheel-made lamp and the standing pit burial cave. Following an examination of their dating, distribution, and social significance we suggest that this material culture was characteristic of the Jews in Judaea during this time and that it reflects the creation of an ethnic identity. The fact that the Hasmonean folded wheel-made lamp and the standing pit burial cave were typical of Jews in Judea indicates that they were ethnic features of Jewish society. By these means the Jews emphasized their dissimilarity from the rest of the population. The archaic appearance of the lamps and the burial caves, which replicates the cultural characteristics of the Kingdom of Judah during the monarchic/first Temple period, indicates that Jewish society in the Hasmonean period sought to legitimize its existence through the use of its former culture and memory.     

Pit Structure Abandonment in the Four Corners Region of the American Southwest: Late Basketmaker III and Pueblo I Periods

Abstract

Anasazi pit structures dating to the Basketmaker III and Pueblo I periods (ca. A.C. 500 to 900) in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest experienced a variety of different processes at abandonment, ranging from dismantling the superstructure to intentional burning. Data from 88 pit structures are used to examine the relationship between these processes and the causes of pit structure abandonment. Results suggest that burning was not usually the result of catastrophic events, such as accident or warfare, but may be part of ritual activities or even a response to insect infestation. The incidence of burning does not seem to increase over time as a result of the postulated transition of pit structures from domestic to ceremonial uses. Dismantled and trash-filled pit structures suggest that new dwellings were often constructed near abandoned ones, perhaps because the old structure was deteriorating. A few pit structures with human bodies on the floor at the time of abandonment may signal the desertion of the entire settlement.     

Excavation of a pit at 16 Tunsgate,Guildford, Surrey, 1991

Abstract

The site lies to the south of the High Street in Guildford’s town centre, SU 9980 4944. The pit yielded a large assemblage of artefacts. The significance of the assemblage lies in its size and its coherence as a single, chronologically uncontaminated and sealed deposit. The finds form a discrete group of ceramics, glass, clay pipes and organic remains dating from c.1650-1714, and deposited c.1702-14. Many of the vessels after reconstruction proved to be complete, or almost so. Because of the location of the site in Tunsgate, the artefacts must either have come from the Tun Inn, which had a frontage on the High Street, or from a property nearby belonging to the owner of the Tun Inn. The end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century is a particularly interesting period for ceramic and glass studies and the finds from 16 Tunsgate reflect this. The assemblage contains previously unknown examples of the work of John Dwight and George Ravenscroft, a soda glass with a hitherto unknown type of seal, the largest group of mould-blown cristallo beakers so far found in the United Kingdom or North America and a unique group of animal remains that provide a snapshot of inn food in the early 18th century. The finds are on display in Guildford Museum.     

Identifying a Roman Casting Pit at Tel Dor,Israel: Integrating Field and Laboratory Research

Abstract

The functional identification of industrial features is difficult when few characteristic artifacts are preserved. We studied a Roman-period pyrotechnological feature at Tel Dor, Israel, where the only possibly diagnostic ceramic artifacts were found in fill between the walls and above the floor, rendering their association with the feature itself uncertain. The ceramic artifacts included coarse slabs and fragments of utilitarian vessels, some vitrified with adhering bronze droplets or slag-like residues. Analysis of the sediments within and around the industrial feature, using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer on-site, revealed high concentrations of copper and lead, indicating metallurgical activity. Lead isotope analyses showed that the slag-like residue adhering to a ceramic fragment had the same isotopic values as the sediments, implying that the fragment was associated with the activities carried out in the feature. Microscopic and chemical analyses of the slag-like residue demonstrated that it was produced from melting leaded bronze. Some of the ceramic fragments contained elongated impressions on their inner surfaces, similar to those of casting molds found at other sites. We propose that the feature was used as a casting pit for bronze objects.     

Medieval land remediation of a quarry site at Wallingford,Oxfordshire, revealed by microfossil analysis

Abstract

Backfill material from a 12th- to13th-century quarry, north of Wallingford, south Oxfordshire, comprises sandy loam overlain by Cretaceous (early Cenomanian; Mantelliceras mantelli Macrofaunal Biozone) Glauconitic Marl Member, of the West Melbury Marly Chalk Formation as identified by its abundant, biostratigraphically useful, foraminifera and ostracods. A local outcrop source of the Glauconitic Marl Member, less than 1 km north of the quarry pit, is the likely provenance of this material, and a contemporaneous road, which was discovered adjacent to the medieval quarry by magnetometer surveys and archaeological excavation, would have aided its transportation, into the town via the North Gate. We hypothesise that the use of a calcareous marl to overlay sandy loam deposits probably encouraged land restoration when the quarried area was returned to pastoral agriculture.     

The Excavation of Clydach Ironworks

Abstract

The Clydach Ironworks began production around the turn of the nineteenth century, supplying a Forge and Rolling Mill in the same valley with pig iron until the 1870s, when through a lack of funds, the concern passed into the hands of an Abergavenny solicitor. This is a report based on the archaeological work undertaken at the Ironworks from 1986-1988 and represents the author's term as Site Archaeologist. It argues that the blast for Furnaces 1 and 2 was supplied by two waterwheels and that Furnace 3 is in fact the fourth furnace to have been constructed, partially overlying the site of one wheel pit. This pit would have belonged to the 42 foot wheel adjacent to Furnace 2 which is illustrated on an 1813 engraving.     

Ceramics Technology at Late Classic K’axob,Belize

Abstract

Excavation of a Late Classic Maya platform at K’axob, Belize, has revealed a suite of pit features and associated artifacts that are strongly suggestive of pottery production. Interpretation of the features as remnants of pit kilns used to fire pottery is bolstered by comparanda from the Andean region. Archaeometric and experimental replication studies also support the interpretation of this locale as one of pottery fabrication. Findings discussed include features identified as kilns, raw material suitable for temper, lumps of fired clay, ground stone, and expedient clay-working tools made of recycled pottery sherds. This research contributes to knowledge of the organization of Maya pottery production by providing the most comprehensive information presented to date on the technology of ancient Maya pottery fabrication and firing.     

Canine Digging Behavior and Archaeological Implications

Abstract

Pit features, frequently reported at archaeological sites, are usually thought be culturally produced. The numbers and forms of pits found at an archaeological site influence inferences of human activity; therefore, the inferred cultural origin of pits at archaeological sites needs to be demonstrated, rather than assumed. Ethnoarchaeological study of dog digging behavior, combined with our understanding of the long symbiotic relationship between human beings and canines, suggests that canine disturbance may be a significant factor in site formation processes. Canines are the probable agent for certain commonly reported pit forms, and are probably implicated in the disturbance of human-dug pits much more often than commonly understood. Dogs dig under a variety of conditions, including those expected in hunter-gatherer, pastoral, and agricultural sites. Excavation of recent dog-holes reveals marked similarities with certain features reported in the archaeological literature.     

YNYSPENLLWCH: THREE CENTURIES OF TIN MAKING IN SOUTH WALES

Abstract

This paper reviews three centuries of tin making at Ynyspenllwch. As the first tin works in Glamorgan, established in the 17th century, and one of the oldest in South Wales, the development of the site from 1647 down to its closure in the early 20th century is an instructive example of the power requirements and output for this type of metalworking complex. The study takes the form of a landscape and historical assessment of the site, supported by detailed analysis of the main wheel pit.     

The functional dimensions of earth oven cooking: An analysis of an accidently burned maize roast at the C. W. Cooper site in West-central Illinois

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of earth ovens, a subclass of pit features used for cooking, there is little consensus regarding how these cooking features were used or about the foodstuffs that were prepared in them. To provide a more detailed understanding of earth oven cooking in the archaeological record, we analyze the archaeobotanical contents, stratigraphy, and morphology of a cooking pit recently excavated at C. W. Cooper, an early Mississippian (a.d. 1150–1200) site in west-central Illinois in order to contribute to research on late Prehistoric foodways. Filled with nearly 100 ears of maize, this earth oven presents the opportunity to document the process of undertaking a maize roast. The volume of maize and its presence within a dense concentration of cooking, processing, and storage facilities allows us to consider the communal nature of outdoor earth oven cooking in the 12th century Central Illinois Valley and the socioeconomic dimensions of commensal politics more broadly during the Precolumbian era.     

An Analysis of Textile Fragments from the Janey B. Goode Site

Abstract

Excavations at the Janey B.Goode site (11S1232), located in the American Bottom region of Illinois, yielded carbonized textile remains from two pit features dating to the Terminal Late Woodland period and from one pit feature dating to the Mississippian period. The remains comprise both twisted or braided cordage pieces and actual twined textile fragments ranging in size from 2×3 cm to over 9×9 cm. Four different twining techniques are represented: two types of compact twining and two types of space twining. All textiles appear to be constructed of bast fibers, probably from the outer part of herbaceous plant stems. The textiles are similar to those described from other Midwestern sites dating to the Woodland and Mississippian periods, reflecting the existence of a widespread fiber industry. In this paper, the textiles from the Janey B. Goode site and the production technology used to produce them are described.     

A 17th-century Kiln Site at Woolwich

Abstract

This report describes the results of the excavation of two adjacent kilns at Woolwich, one producing earthenware and one producing stoneware. Both date from the third quarter of the 17th century, though evidence suggests that the stoneware kiln is the earlier of the two. The report also includes a discussion of an earlier feature, a clay-lined pit, as well as several features associated with the three main features. The earthenware kiln had twin stoke holes and produced domestic pottery. The stoneware kiln had a single stoke hole and produced Bellarmine jugs with other stoneware vessels, and is the only stoneware kiln of this period yet discovered in Britain.¹     

Patterns of Interpersonal Violence at the Fisher Site

Abstract

Recent reanalysis of crania from the Late Prehistoric Fisher site in Will County, Illinois indicates relatively high levels of interpersonal violence. In the Big East and Big West mounds, cranial trauma was likely a result of repeated, low-level harassment of the villagers, resulting in the death of only a few people at a time. Numerous burials in the south-southwest mound, however, were interred in a large pit that reportedly contained at least 40 partially disarticulated individuals. Of those individuals from the mass burial pit, nearly all of the crania available for study showed evidence of perimortem trauma. These victims were likely the result of a large-scale attack that resulted in numerous deaths and subsequent abandonment of the site. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) of radiocarbon dates indicate that this violence was occurring between about A.D. 1225 and 1300, a period that seems to have been a particularly volatile one in Late Prehistoric Illinois.     

Polesworth: a north Warwickshire country pottery

Abstract

In 1986 excavations for house foundations at Polesworth in northern Warwickshire (SK 263 980) uncovered a pottery waster dump. Fine wares, lead glazed and unglazed coarsewares, including a number a horticultural vessels, were recovered, together with kiln furniture. An archaeological excavation adjacent to the construction site revealed stratigraphy relating to the backfilling of a clay pit with potting waste early in the 18th century. Documentary and other evidence shows that the pottery was in production from the late 17th to early 19th centuries.     

The Roles of Pit Houses and Gendered Spaces on Viking-Age Farmsteads in Iceland

Abstract

THE SMALL SEMI-SUBTERRANEAN buildings (jarðhús) with slab-built ovens that have been found on many Viking-Age farmsteads in Iceland (late 9th–11th century) have been subject to wide-ranging interpretations, from short-lived, expedient dwellings to saunas, women’s workrooms, the houses of Slavic settlers and in one case a cult building. This paper tests these hypotheses by making a thorough revaluation of pit-house dates, architectural forms, internal structural features and artefacts, and presents new geoarchaeological evidence from the pit house at Hofstaðir, NE Iceland. This lends strong support to the interpretation that they were women’s workrooms, primarily for the production of woollen textiles. Their abandonment in the later 10th and 11th centuries may be interpreted in the light of changing religious beliefs and social structures, the growing importance of homespun cloth as a valuable export commodity, and the rise in status of the women who made it.     

An inn-clearance group,c. 1800, from the Royal Oak,Eccleshall, Staffordshire

Abstract

A watching brief behind the Royal Oak, a coaching inn on the London to Chester coach route, revealed an inn-clearance group of c. 1800. It consisted primarily of plain creamwares and provided an opportunity to study the type of material used in a coaching inn at this time. The group also contained a significant assemblage of clay tobacco pipes. These included the longest stem yet found of this period and early products of the important Broseley manufacturer Noah Roden.     

The finds from the cellar of the Old Hall,Temple Balsall,Warwickshire

Abstract

The cellar, excavated in 1981, revealed late 17th and early 18th century material, which is the subject of this report. The pottery included yellow wares, English delftware, blackware, manganese-mottled wares, stonewares, slipware and coarseware. Tobacco pipes, medicine phials, table glass, wine bottles, bones and iron-work were also found. The excavation report will be published separately.¹ Ex inf. Paul Woodfield.     

Post-Medieval Archaeology in Periodical Literature, 1966

Abstract

This paper describes the marked clay pipes found in the Barbican area of Plymouth, and lists all the unmarked types found. The deposits are rich in pipes of Dutch manufacture, particularly of the early 17th century. New light is thrown on local pipemaking from the 17th to the 19th century. The influence of London and southern England is strong both in the styles of Plymouth-made pipes and in the imports to Plymouth. Few pipes from Bristol were found and none from Broseley or the North.     

Household ceramic diversity in the late prehistory of the Appalachian Summit

ABSTRACT

Pottery from the Ward site village (31WT22; ca. A.D. 1100) in mountainous northwestern North Carolina exhibits remarkable synchronic diversity that evokes speculations about prehistoric social institutions. Large fragments of ceramic jars recovered from the base of a storage pit at a nearby single house site appear to represent the wares of one household dating to approximately A.D. 1350. Like the Ward site pottery, diverse tempering materials and surface treatments at this site defy existing typologies and show that individual artisans availed themselves of a palette of technological and stylistic choices, some of which were introduced through interaction with neighboring Mississippian and Woodland groups, especially those lying to the south and east.